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I wouldn't feel bad about not watching Cowboy Bebop. I've yet to see it, Trigun, or any of the Ghibli movies. If I said this at a convention, I'd probably get called not a true anime fan. But whatever, it's fine with me.

^
I think that that it is a sad commentary of the fandom today that fan's with minority views will be put down by most fans because of those said views. It speaks to a certain insecurity, I think.

puppy1843e wrote:

I wouldn't feel bad about not watching Cowboy Bebop. I've yet to see it, Trigun, or any of the Ghibli movies. If I said this at a convention, I'd probably get called not a true anime fan. But whatever, it's fine with me.

I'm in a worse spot, I don't like Cowboy Bebop or Shinichiro Watanabe's other shows. I did make it through Samurai Shamploo but what I found interesting wasn't what Watanabe wanted me to find interesting. It's the same sort of problems with Kids on the Slope and Bebop but at least that "cast of losers who are really cool somehow" really were losers rather than just being unlucky enough to be in a Watanabe series. Did anyone else ask "What just happened??" when the story turns against the cast for the sake of status quo? The Kids in the Slope ending was by far the worse but it's not as if I made it to the end of Cowboy Bebop so I can't compare. Haven't even bothered with his other series.

I'm just glad there aren't requisites for being an anime fan; I don't like Bebop, Princess Mononoke, Akira or the original Fullmetal Alchemist because of story issues. Plus, I don't judge based on looking "gorgeous" because that's just money + time and having both doesn't generate any points with me {though it's often the first thing that comes up in these reviews}.

Is Bebop a beacon for other Japanese shows to ape or was it an aberration in its own country and only really popular in the US for being taken as an example of something that it's not? A loaded question, I know, kind of like asking if the Movie was made for the East or West...

Animegomaniac wrote:

puppy1843e wrote:

I wouldn't feel bad about not watching Cowboy Bebop. I've yet to see it, Trigun, or any of the Ghibli movies. If I said this at a convention, I'd probably get called not a true anime fan. But whatever, it's fine with me.

I'm in a worse spot, I don't like Cowboy Bebop or Shinichiro Watanabe's other shows. I did make it through Samurai Shamploo but what I found interesting wasn't what Watanabe wanted me to find interesting. It's the same sort of problems with Kids on the Slope and Bebop but at least that "cast of losers who are really cool somehow" really were losers rather than just being unlucky enough to be in a Watanabe series. Did anyone else ask "What just happened??" when the story turns against the cast for the sake of status quo? The Kids in the Slope ending was by far the worse but it's not as if I made it to the end of Cowboy Bebop so I can't compare. Haven't even bothered with his other series.

I'm just glad there aren't requisites for being an anime fan; I don't like Bebop, Princess Mononoke, Akira or the original Fullmetal Alchemist because of story issues. Plus, I don't judge based on looking "gorgeous" because that's just money + time and having both doesn't generate any points with me {though it's often the first thing that comes up in these reviews}.

Is Bebop a beacon for other Japanese shows to ape or was it an aberration in its own country and only really popular in the US for being taken as an example of something that it's not? A loaded question, I know, kind of like asking if the Movie was made for the East or West...

This made me feel a whole lot better. I mean, I've seen reviews of Trigun, Akira and Bebop, but they never made me want to watch them. When I was watching the reviews, I found myself just pointing out all the stereotyped characters and how dated the animation was (most evident in Trigun's case). Besides, not everyone's going to be into action/sci-fi oriented shows/movies to begin with. I personally love my Shoujo/Comedy (with the occasional horror) bubble.

In my opinion It seems to me that Watanabe anime series/movies are to the American anime industry what John Green's books are to the American teen novel scene. Filled with flaws to people who scoff at the typical formula and characterization, but absolutely amazing to those who connect with the characters and brush past the issues based on connection alone. Not a popular opinion I know, but I just had to say it.

Eh, generally I try not to knock it til I've tried it. Watched the first episode of Bebop, caught a few on Toonami, and it feels like enough to hold my interest. I've already been told you gotta' be in Trigun for the long haul, and I thought the best part of Samurai Champloo was the comedy.

I'll probably never get around to watching Akira though; I read the freakin' thing; that was enough mind-screw, thank you very much.

Hell, I even liked Ben-to, and I'm not much of an ecchi fan, so maybe I just like my fanservice "out in the open", as it were, rather than the secret lusting I feel is more prevalent nowadays. Might end up giving High School DxD a shot, especially since it apparently has more than just the fanservice going for it.

Melicans wrote:

Nice shelves! Where did you get the Ikaros nenderoid?

i think my wife bought that one for me as a gift, so i have no idea where it came from.

Last edited by Northlander on Tue Dec 16, 2014 6:08 am; edited 1 time in total

ANN_Bamboo wrote:

I understand where you're coming from. I did sort of cop out. It's hard for me sometimes to rank shows like this into the narrow categories that I invented several years ago (categories that are completely outdated now), as ecchi shows are for such a specific audience. I personally think it's entertaining, but ecchi especially seems to demand that you're already open to this kind of show, versus any other general genre (sports, slice-of-life, etc) that has a lower entry barrier.

I've always counted your "boob show" entries as "at least rental" -- as in, if a boob show was perishable, you'd mark it as perishable and let the reviewing portion point out why. (I think Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero was one of those, or maybe I remember that wrong.) Though maybe it could be an idea to have a "worth watching/not worth watching" scale for boob shows too. If you're going to give it its own rating type anyway, that is.

It was your sorta-positive rundown of High School DxD (the original) that actually convinced me to give it a try, and wouldn't you know, I kind of enjoyed it. It's got a particularly nice dub, for one -- even if the lines uttered at some of the major showdowns can be painful to listen to -- and also, like you said, none of the girls are treated poorly unless it's a part to showcase villainous behavior, and that at least wasn't sexualized violence.

Maybe the same could be done when it comes to violent stuff? I don't have an anime equivalent in mind right now, but I watched some video reviews of the Hostel series, and that strikes me as the kind of reprehensible torture porn stuff I would like to be warned against for anime too. From what I hear, Apocalypse Zero might be one of those kinds of titles.

Edit: Incidentally, while the first ending might not be as indicative to the show content as the second one, I really liked that one. That segment at the end, where the girls would appear out of colored smoke trails was almost beautiful. Full of boobs, yes, but also lots of flowing motion that looked really nice.

Yeah, I think the categories could be expanded. I'll have to figure out a consistent way to do it. Thanks for your input, everyone!

I believe that Samurai Champloo is Watanabe's true masterpiece; Bebop has the better story and characters but its best episodes are too few and far between.

The filler is ridiculous - the Alien parody episode where everyone got sick felt awkward, and that crazy French villain later in the series had me convinced Watanabe was out of ideas.

In Champloo, the filler gives us hints of what's going to happen later on - and yes, the comedy is what helps make those middle episodes watchable.

Regarding DxD: haven't seen it. Ecchi is fine with me, but the ones where almost all the girls have the same breast size (or are all loli-flat chests) just puts me off. Sekirei is one of 'em, and I imagine that DxD is the exact the same thing with a different (darker?) story. I just prefer my fanservice to be more subtle.

Also, shape is more important than size Wink

If you like the more moderately sized ones, maybe Aria or Koneko'll strike your fancy. Just sayin'. Razz

nbahn wrote:

trypticon wrote:

[...] I know I'll probably get ridiculed; in all my years of watching anime, I still haven't gotten around to watching Cowboy Bebop; but I will soon.

I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but I have yet to finish Hana Yori Dango.

No, no, there's the big differential that Cowboy Bebop's character designs don't make your eyeballs crack and bleed, like HYD's.

ANN_Bamboo wrote:

bones2039 wrote:

Honestly I really enjoyed both seasons of high school dxd, but I so wish bamboo didn't label It just a boob show like she did. While personally I think it's shelf worthy as it's one of the best ecchi shows I've watched, I would have no problem with it being rental or even perishable since Its a fanservice show. Labeling it a "boob show" feels like the easy way out.

But if you read the review, there's no indication whatsoever that I would've put it into Perishable. I actually enjoyed it and thought it was fun. I chose not to put it in any category, because I think people get really hung up on these labels for reasons that I don't really understand.

I think that is pretty fair. A different label makes sense considering that any potential viewer needs to first determine whether they are on board with the fundamental purpose of the show. Once a person determines that, then it is worth delving into the merits of the show compared to other similar shows. Essentially, it just takes genre into account, and I'd much rather see that and avoid the usual, "Oh, the reviewer just doesn't like this type of show, so the review is worthless," scenario.

Hi Bamboo,

I agree with you that fanservice shows have a different barrier to entry for most folks. I'm kinda marginally okay with them, but I'm always really careful to read reviews closely. I'm really troubled by shows that include sexualized violence or mix degredation with sexuality. I really enjoy shows that have a strong romantic component, or where the fanservice is in a positive context. (E.g. Cat Planet Cuties, Marksman & Vanadis, Ano Natsu/Waiting in the Summer, Maoyuu)

I actually had a problem with the first arc of the first DxD series. I was really uncomfortable with the revenge fantasy of Issei getting back at the girl who had betrayed him. That felt too close to the bitter resentment of men I actually know, and felt like it was written to give those kinds of men a retribution fantasy to experience.

I also took it as subtext that in ep 3, the creepy priest Asia was stuck with was going to rape her after Issei was driven off. Ew.

That said, the ending theme animation for season one was... {read the following in Guy Fieri's voice:}
...wow. That's some quality fanservice, right there.

Anyway, you are doing valuable work, Bamboo, and I appreciate it.

I personally found the Boob Show category hilarious. Is there a category for bad boob shows too?

leafy sea dragon wrote:

I personally found the Boob Show category hilarious. Is there a category for bad boob shows too?

If there is one, then Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero belongs there. I hated the MC, hated the situations and seems I am in sync with japanese buyers since it was a piss poor seller (even thought it was nicely animated).

An irrelevant comment. The link to the uncensored DxD new ending cannot be seen from Mexico, which in theory can play said blu ray release since we are also region A, but why would we buy said disc since it lacks spanish subtitles (an spanish dub would be a dream). I dunno if said link can be seen in Quebec, but french speakers must feel the same since it is not a titanic effort to add subtitles (even if they are translated from english to other languages instead of translating from the original japanese).

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